Top 10 Famous Facts about Taika Waititi

Taika Waititi speaking at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con International, for “Thor: Love and Thunder”, photo by Gage Skidmore Wikimedia

Top 10 Famous Facts about Taika Waititi

Taika David Cohen  who is  known professionally as Taika Waititi . He is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He was born on 16 August 1975 in Raukokore in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand’s North Island. And he  grew up on both the East Coast and in the Aro Valley of Wellington.

His father was an artist of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui descent, whilst his mother, Robin Cohen was a schoolteacher. Waititi  had stated that his mother’s family were Russian Jews “mixed with a bit of Irish” and other European ancestry, while his father’s side was “Māori and a little bit of French Canadian.

Waititi describes himself as a “Polynesian Jew”. He had been  raised more connected to his Māori roots, in a household where Judaism was not “actively practice.

Here are Top 10 Famous Facts about Taika Waititi

1. He’s A Visual Artist

It is not acting, writing, and directing  that has made him famous, but   also as a skilled visual artist. Waititi has produced several art installations throughout his career. And  he also took several jobs as a visual artist while solidifying himself in the entertainment industry.

Although he produces art regularly, Waititi seems  to like he’s focusing on the world of movies and television at the moment. In a Ted Talk from 2010, Waititi had stated that his job was to express himself and share his ideas. It happens to be that I am using filmmaking right now.”

2. He Worked On The Script For Moana

Taika Waititi photo by Gage Skidmore Wikimedia 

Moana, a heroic Disney Princess, is one of the few films in Hollywood that features Polynesian culture. The reason behind it was that , many Polynesian actors had joined the film, including Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson. Despite  that Disney’s efforts  was to widen the representation in their films, some Polynesian critics found the film to be lacking.

Since  Waititi is also a Polynesian. He  worked on the film as a writer and drafted a script. That had a more accurate take on Polynesian families and gender dynamics (via Romper). But , Waititi’s screenplay was not on the  green-lit by the studio.

3. Waititi Gets More Animated

Streaming giant Netflix announced that they have tapped Taika to direct two animated features for their studio. The films that  follow the Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with one focusing on the original story and the other the tale of the Oompa-Loompas Variety reports. The Netflix Vice President of Original Animation fell in love with the idea of Waititi taking the helm stating, “If Dahl had created a character of a filmmake

4. Taika has been  one of the directors of the Star Wars live-action streaming series

Taika Waititi speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for “Thor: Ragnarok”, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego photo by Gage Skidmore Wikimedia 

In October 2018, Lucasfilm announced that Waititi would be one of the directors of the Star Wars live-action streaming series The Mandalorian, which tells the story of a lone Mandalorian gunfighter in the period between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

5. He has received several Awards and nominations

He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Waititi’s 2003 short film Two Cars, One Night earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film.

6. He wrote and directed the film boy

Waititi who wrote and directed Boy (2010). The set was  in a Māori town on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984. The film which tells  the story of an 11-year-old James Rolleston who was raised by his grandmother. And he  has heroic fantasies about his absent father (Waititi).

When the father unexpectedly shows up,  for having just been released from prison, the boy gradually comes to realize that his father is only a selfish and flawed human being. With a major hit in New Zealand, the movie has been  nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival . It also  earned high critical praise.

7. Waititi  who was named New Zealander of the Year

Taika Waititi at Sundance 2015 photo by unknown photographer Wikimedia

In 2017 Waititi had been  named New Zealander of the Year. He has been serving  as executive producer for the TV series What We Do in the Shadows (2019– ) and directed several episodes; the series was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2020.

8. Eagle vs Shark (2007) was his first featured film

Eagle vs shark which id  a romantic comedy about two young social misfits starring his then-girlfriend, Loren Taylor, and Clement. It received mixed reviews. Waititi next directed four episodes (2007 and 2009) of Clement’s joint project with Bret McKenzie. This was  the cult favorite comedy series Flight of the Conchords.

9.He Used To Direct Commercials

Before (and ever after he has been  directing a slew of critically acclaimed films. Waititi was in the commercial biz. But,  he was not the  advertising’s biggest fan. In an interview with The Verge he made his feelings pretty clear. That has he  made commercials, which he has worked with the worst people in the world. \

According to him it is  more restrictive than working with people in advertising.” Taika was able to show off his true Taika style in Air New Zealand’s which was  the  Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made.

10. Taika Likes To Appear In His Movies

Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi at Berlin Dungeon (Germany) for movie opening party (2014) photo by Mark benecke Wikimedia

Waititi loves making cameos in his movies. He has been well-known actor and comedian in his native New Zealand. The world has finally got a chance to know  Waititi.

So far he has played a vampire in What We Do in The Shadows which he has  co-directed, an imaginary Hitler in Jojo Rabbit  also which he directed. And he  had voiced Korg in Thor: Ragnarok which he also directed a part which was entirely ad-libbed according to an interview he did while promoting the film.

His performances have become memorable and leave fans wanting to see more from this multi-talented man.